The probes that are used for ultrasonic diagnostic medical imaging are often of a type that are inserted into a cavity in the patient to image organs within the cavity or juxtaposed to the cavity, hereinafter sometimes referred to as "cavital probes". These cavital probes include a transducer at an end that is inserted into the cavity and a handle at the other end. The handle end of the probe is joined to the transducer end of the probe by a stem. It is highly desirable that in such probes the transducer can be controlled to vary the center line of the arc over which the transducer scans. In normal operation the scanning arc describes a scanning sector of approximately 110 degrees. Thus, the location of the scanning sector should be movable. When the location of the scanning sector is controllably movable, then by additionally moving the probe manually within the cavity it is possible to obtain scans of almost all of the cavity organs thereto juxtaposed.
The controls for adjusting the location of the scanning sector must be small enough to fit within the probe and more particularly into the stem of the probe.
The handle portion of the probe includes the motor for moving the transducer in a scanning arc; i.e. in a reciprocating motion over an arc of approximately 110 degrees. The transducer end of the probe is usually bulbous having a windown for enabling the ultransonic energy to readily pass to and from the transducer.